Drama > A Drama > Almodovar, Pedro > by Award

Advantages: amazing film, another almodovar classic
Disadvantages: none in particular, unless you prefer english language films

Volver (To Return) is the most recent film by Spain’s most well known and successful film director, Pedro Almodovar. I am a fan of almost all of Almodovar’s films, and even decided to do my A Level Spanish oral presentation on his life and films. I did my exam about him today, and so I decided that now would be a good time to review my favourite of his many films. *Synopsis* Volver is the story of the women in a small family living in Spain in ...
...convincingly. *My opinion* Volver is my favourite film by Almodovar, although I love the majority of his work. I just thought that the storyline of this film was fantastic, and that the actors really helped to make the film as amazing as it could be. The fact that this is the only one of his films that I have seen on the big screen in a cinema probably helped, as this added to the atmosphere the first time I saw it. If you have seen any others ... Read review

Advantages: Powerful. poignant, moving, funny
Disadvantages: None that I could find

...but promises to tell him all when they get home. However, as Huma leaves the theatre and Esteban runs after her for an autograph he is tragically and shockingly run over and killed. Manuela is devastated and she reads in Esteban’s notebook how much he wanted to know his father. So Manuela sets off to Barcelona to find Esteban’s father and tell him about the son he never knew. On arrival in Barcelona Manuela chances upon an old friend Agrado (Antonia ...
...not acting as mothers. Nearly all of the characters in the film are women, except Esteban who dies early in the film and Agrado and Lola who act and behave like women. Without men to interfere Almodovar freely explores the interactions between this fascinating set of “females”. The result is a highly emotional and richly woven tapestry. The performances are masterful. Cecilia Roth is excellent as the strong willed Manuela who though devastated by ... Read review

Advantages: Amazing storyline
Disadvantages: in Spanish with subtitles (although that is an upside to some)

This is an amazing film, maybe one of the best by the great director Pedro Almodovar. Gael Garcia Bernal's performance is outstanding. The film is funny yet dark and takes you on a great cinematic journey. The story is amazing and you will not be satisfied until you see the end. Although the film deals with many serious issues such as drugs and child abuse, Almodovar is able to being comedy to the whole recipe. The film is in the original Spanish ... Read review

Advantages: Stylish, sophisticated, witty
Disadvantages: It had to end!

...comedies and "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" (1990) is probably the darkest of all. Ricky (Antonio Banderas) is discharged from a psychiatric hospital where he has spent the last few years, following a traumatic adolescence during which he repeatedly absconded from a series of orphanages and reform homes. Desperate for a normal life he sets his sights on Marina, a porn actress with whom he had once had a one-night stand. Now acting in dreadful B-movies, ...
...a start, Ricky does not tie Marina up for erotic reasons; it is the only way he can think of to get her full attention. It is symbolic that Marina, who would usually be willingly tied up for the cameras should suffer this fate. The notion of the captive as weak and the captor as in charge is similarly dispelled; despite being a captive, it is Marina who calls the shots. The eager to please, almost subservient Ricky will do whatever it takes to convince ... Read review

Advantages: Witty and Insightful Drama
Disadvantages: Certainly not for subtitle-o-phobes!

...includes recent work such as Bad Education. Pedro Almodovar's work is mainly in Spanish, and although well subtitled, is very fast-moving and would not be suitable for non-Spanish speakers who dislike or are unaccustomed to subtitles. His subject matter is often very challenging, and would not be suitable for those who are uncomfortable with themes exploring gender, sexual relations, the psychology of violence, suppression or sex, or questioning ...
...comfortable with exploring these difficult themes, Almodovar offers a casket of wonders, with his witty and insightful blend of drama: juxtaposing the fantastical with the vulgar. He keenly picks apart the complicated psyche of those who become social outcasts, and unabashedly offers backgrounds which demonstrate the almost linear qualities of his character development. This collection of films is a brilliant, inventive and moving exploration of ... Read review